


frostbite

by arch-works (divine_chemistry)



Category: Klaus (2019)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Forehead Touching, Humor, I came to deliver, Jesper Is An Idiot, Light Angst, M/M, Sickfic, This ship needed a sick fic, To Be Edited, probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-19 00:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22569328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divine_chemistry/pseuds/arch-works
Summary: Jesper had said it once on a delivery run: "A good postmannevertakes a sick day."Around a week later, it turns out he does.
Relationships: Alva & Jesper Johanssen, Jesper Johanssen & Klaus, Jesper Johanssen/Klaus
Comments: 11
Kudos: 252





	frostbite

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pocketful_Pebbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pocketful_Pebbles/gifts).



> I love that there are still new fics being made for this ship. Speaking of which, expect a lot more Klausper in the near future, as I've been working on a couple of multi-chapters for this ship.
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy this little Klausper sick fic.

The descending trickle of snow from the shack's broken roof serves as a cruel reminder of the less favorable aspects of Jesper's current situation. He takes it in stride, however, as he allows a buildup of white powder to pool atop his head while he rests at his desk.

It's below freezing when he lifts it to the sound of knocking at the door. He hesitates to respond, his mind lagging from near constant exhaustion and the possible setting of hypothermia.

The postman opts to let his face fall back to the dampened wood before another series of knocks follows abruptly.

"Door's open," he slurs. He's pretty sure it's just Mogens coming to retrieve the mail––who _else_ would be coming to see him this early? The kids usually didn't get up till dawn,––but when Klaus's frame appears in the entrance, Jesper finds the energy to straighten himself in his chair.

"You better not want us to do another delivery run tonight. We just got back from the last one–!"

"No," Klaus quietly interjects, and Jesper catches sight of the brown bundle peeking out from the man's hands as he steps towards him. "Your coat. You left it in the carriage."

Klaus slips the garment onto the desk and watches as Jesper groggily registers its presence.

"...oh, thank you," he finally manages. "I didn't realize I took it off..."

"I saw it when I reached the cabin. I know you don't like to wear it when you do your deliveries so I think you just forgot to put it back on afterwards."

Klaus watches as the postman slowly takes his coat from the table, comfortably sinking back into his chair as he throws it on. "Mm, 'makes sense," Jesper mutters, and it takes him a moment of thawing in the warmth of his jacket for him to realize that the man before him had had to travel the whole way from the woods to town just to return it.

Jesper is as touched as he is frustrated with Klaus for having gone to such gratuitous lengths, before further realizing Klaus would now have to make the same journey home.

The postman glances up at the man from his seat, and amidst voicing his gratitude, he finds Klaus gazing at him with concern.

"You look _terrible,"_ he murmurs, and Jesper tiredly fails to stifle a scoff.

"Well, hey, who _actually_ looks good this early in the morning, right?"

When his quip is met with anxious silence, Jesper finds himself at a loss until Klaus leans towards him, his eyes concentrated on the postman's face. "...Jesper, I think we need to get you somewhere warm."

"Ah, it's _fine."_ He sniffles, "I do have my jacket now, after all."

"No, Jesper, you need a fire." Klaus gently places a hand at the side of the postman's neck––which Jesper assures himself has no liability for the blush hastily warming his cheeks,––before removing it to reveal his fingers now glossed in sweat. "Jesper, you have a _fever_. _"_

"Oh _come on_ ," Jesper drawls, "so I'm a bit sweaty, what's the big deal? Everyone sweats, it's _perfectly_ natural." And with his face growing distressingly hot, the postman abruptly face-plants in front of the startled woodsman.

·-»-•-«-·

When Jesper wakes later that morning, it's to the crackle of a fire and the sensation of soft fur on his bare skin, while a low but gentle humming sounds softly in the distance.

He basks in the inviting warmth of the flames before recalling the distinct _lack_ of a fireplace within the post office and begins to bring his attention more to the room.

When he recognizes the cabin's interior, the postman attempts to find Klaus somewhere nearby, calling for him from what he believes is the living room.

The humming from before lulls as Klaus's oncoming footsteps give away his position. "You're awake."

"That I am," Jesper replies, pausing to look down upon noticing his exposed chest. "And naked. Why am I naked?"

Klaus's face crimsons. "The uh, the sweating from your fever soaked the fabric, and...I was worried that, with all the cold you'd been exposed to, it might just worsen your condition."

"But I had my jacket on."

"Well that got wet too...and I didn't want to take any chances."

Jesper huffs at the response but promptly accepts its merit. "Well, I really appreciate how well you've taken care of me, Klaus, you know I do, but I think it's about time I got ready to head back to the post office right about now, huh? We don't want those kids starting a riot 'cause good old Jesper wasn't down there to–" Jesper is interrupted by an abrupt coughing fit, and Klaus moves to offer support as the postman falls back into the chair his companion had placed him in upon arriving.

"Jesper, you're really sick."

"No, I'm not," he insists, swatting his hand in dismissal before quickly succumbing to another wave of hacking. His eyes shut involuntarily, and it keeps him from seeing the look of genuine fear in Klaus's eyes.

The postman does feel his companion place a hand on his shoulder, and he finds the touch as comforting as intended. The statement that follows, however, less so. "Jesper, you can't work today."

"What are you talking about, _of course I can!"_

But upon moving to leave the chair, Jesper finds Klaus's hands firmly––yet gently––holding him to his spot on the chair. The postman struggles to break free but inevitably submits to his companion's strength with a sigh of defeat.

"Fine. I'll stay," he grumbles. "'doesn't mean I have to like it, though."––

The near-whine in Jesper's voice leaves Klaus a small glimpse of the same Jesper from before they'd met, and he can't help to spare a smile at the thought of his friend retaining this part of that identity.––

Klaus walks to the cabin door at the resignation, slipping into his own coat before turning once more to the postman. "I'm going to head into town and get some medicine. Please, just stay put while I'm gone."

Jesper groans theatrically as he drops back into the chair, and Klaus shakes his head as he walks to the carriage outside. The postman's gaze follows him till he disappears behind the door.

It's only after a minute of Klaus leaving that Jesper makes a move, an attempt to roll to the floor feet-first resulting in a _head_ -first dive into the hardwood. It's only then that it occurs to Jesper––with his face growing quickly acquainted with the hand-scraped floorboards––that his current condition has left him grievously uncoordinated, but it fails to stop him from struggling to hoist himself up, the blankets still partially draped over his figure as he crawls steadily from the chair.

Possible head trauma be damned. Jesper's stubbornness––or "determination", as he preferred––was far from fleeting, as was the fever-induced delirium prompting him to actively leave the warmth of the fire and fur-lined duvets.

_"'Have to get to the post office,"_ he thinks. "' _Have to get the mail. No delivery run, no letters. No letters, no money. No money, no silk sheets–"_

" _No."_ Jesper cries,––wholly ignoring the distinct hoarseness to his voice.––Death by sickness was far better than such a fate.

As the postman reaches the entrance, he feels as if he can almost taste freedom, along with the mucus forming in his respiratory system.

That is until the door swings open from the other side and knocks him senseless to the floor in the nude, the blanket having reached its limits just an inch behind him.

·-»-•-«-·

The sound of Alva calling his name is the last thing he hears before waking once more in Klaus's chair, wrapped now in a far messier fashion in the same fur blankets.

He feels far worse than he had earlier, and perhaps it's just the swelling in his kneecaps, but the more sensible part of him insists it's his worsening ailment that's responsible for the growing discomfort.

Jesper soon notices Alva now looming over him and looks groggily into her eyes.

She sighs in what Jesper assumes is relief. "I thought you _died_ , _"_ she groans.

"Oh, _you wish_. _"_

Alva smacks him lightly for the response, and Jesper laughs before coughing erratically into his arm. He sees Alva reach for him from the corner of his eye––the image blurred only by the tears forming at the unexpected force of his heaving,––but he's unable to stop long enough to falsely reassure her of his well-being.

The touch of her hand to his forehead is small comfort as his coughing finally subsides. He can nearly feel the grimace on her face as if it's his own, and watches as she swiftly leaves his side and walks out of his line of sight.

When she returns, Jesper relishes the feeling of a damp towel placed above his brow as he lays on the chair.

After a minute of being lost in a daze, he looks to Alva as she stands at his side once more. "Why are you here," he then asks, and Jesper is caught off guard by just how much raspier his voice has grown.

"The kids were all worried when you didn't come out of your office this morning, so I went to check on you myself only to find you weren't even there," she replies, silently noting the slight twinkle that came to Jesper's eyes as she mentions the kids. She smiles. "So, naturally, I just assumed the only other place you'd be was here, so I started heading up the path about an hour ago, and then I met Klaus on his way to town and he told me what happened."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He said he was worried you were going to do something stupid while he was out so he asked me to keep an eye on you since I was already heading over here."

Jesper sniffs curtly, and Alva can see he's annoyed with Klaus having––wisely––doubted him. "What about the school?" He then starts. "And your students? What are they doing at school without a teacher?"

"Actually, I gave them the day off."

"Wow, pushing off your responsibilities just like that, huh? 'Doesn't sound like you're being a good role model for those kiddos." Jesper snickers as Alva jokingly smacks him for a second time.

"You're so annoying I can't even feel bad for you when I _want_ to," she mutters, and aside from the misery of his enflamed sinuses and incessant coughing, Jesper feels good knowing Alva has little concern about his current condition. It keeps him from worrying about it too much himself.

Alva spends the rest of her time at the cabin waiting on Jesper hand and foot before Klaus returns, and the postman happily takes advantage of the little bell she leaves him to call her for next to everything––

" _Alva,_ " he whined. "Alva, _please._ ** _Alva._** _"_

"For the _last time_ , I am _not_ giving you another _foot massage_ , Jesper!"

"But _Alva_ , you _have to–_ "

" _No!"_ ––

It's terrible, and she's grateful when Klaus comes home around an hour later, an assortment of items in his grasp. He sets down what Jesper assumes is a vial of medicine atop the armrest of his chair, before unloading a mortar and pestle, a variety of herbs and another set of fur blankets unto a table nearby.

Jesper takes the bottle now beside his head and hazily examines it by turning it around in his hold. Upon almost dropping it to the floor, Alva is quick to take it off his hands. Meanwhile, Klaus begins to sift herbs into the cup of the mortar as he crushes them to a fresh paste.

The substance is applied gently to specific sections of Jesper's face, and he explains it's meant to ease his sinuses.

Jesper isn't sure if it's actually effective, but the paste feels cool on his burning skin, and he supposes that's worth something.

The second set of blankets are then used to replace the ones now sopping with Jesper's sweat, and the postman feels embarrassed knowing he's so helpless without the two souls working so diligently to care for him.

It surprises him when he realizes how differently the old Jesper would have perceived this situation. God, had he really been _that_ spoiled?

·-»-•-«-·

Alva leaves sometime in the evening, and Jesper watches as Klaus walks with her to the door before she disappears behind it. When the man then returns to his side, he places his hand on Jesper's cheek, a distinctly tender gesture that leaves him at a loss for words.

Klaus almost seems to get lost in the postman's eyes as he stays at his side, and Jesper can now sense the pain the man feels when looking at him in such a sickly state. He wonders why it's so prominent in his companion's gaze, and as if reading his mind, Klaus responds.

"Lydia...a terrible sickness took my Lydia from me."

Jesper's eyes widen at the confession, and he bears witness to tears now forming in Klaus's eyes. "Klaus..."

"I can't let one take you too."

"Klaus, I–"

"I don't want to lose you, Jesper."

The sincerity in Klaus's voice makes Jesper shudder, the raw emotion nearly tangible, and the postman reaches slowly to take his face in his hands as the tears begin streaming gently to his cheeks, and soon onto the tips of Jesper's thumbs as he softly wipes them away.

"Klaus, you're not going to lose me," he whispers, "I won't let you."

Klaus laughs at that, loud and hearty and relieved, and Jesper is about to ask why before the man presses his lips to the postman's cheek. It surprises them both, and though Klaus is visibly worried while pulling away, he finds Jesper suddenly pulling him back in to meet his own lips.

It's chaste when they kiss, and Jesper's heart leaps the second Klaus's hands are on his back to support him. They stay like that for what seems like an eternity before Klaus gently draws back his lips to press his forehead to his companion's.

"Wow," Jesper sighs, and Klaus's arms swiftly engulf him in a warm embrace.

·-»-•-«-·

Alva is happy when she gets the news, she really is.

What she's _not_ happy about is having to take care of _two_ adult men too sick to run the now thriving postal service in town.

Especially the postman––

" _Alva_ ," Jesper whines, and she listens wordlessly as Klaus tries to quiet his partner from the fireplace.

"Jesper, she's already doing so much for us–" a sudden cough, then, and Alva never thought someone's voice could be so low till she hears Klaus just now, "–stop calling her over for such petty things."

"Well, then how about _you_ just give me a foot massage."

"I would, Jesper, but I'm exhausted."

"Which is _exactly_ why I'm getting _Alva_ to do it. Speaking of– **_Alva!"_** ––

" _Especially_ the postman," she grumbles–– and at the sound of the bell she turns around fuming. " _I'm coming,_ **_damn it!"_ **


End file.
